Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

Let me just start by saying Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames is an awesome book that is a lot of fun. Ok, feel free to read on…

I am always on the lookout for new books and authors. Happily, I came across Kings of the Wyld in a bookshop, just before my birthday, while my wife was nearby. The planets were aligned – although I would have bought it anyway as the reviews were great, and I loved the concept.

Spoiler free Kings of the Wyld synopsis

The book is set in a fairly typical fantasy world, but with a cool twist. Mercenaries form small elite groups that are kind of like bands. They gain fame and fortune by killing monsters, and style themselves like musical groups, with names and special skills. As this is fantasy, they are rogues, warriors and wizards, but the effect is much the same.

Our heroes where in the band Saga, which was legendary in its day. Now they are old and past it. (Apparently.) Frankly, this is my main negative for the book and it is purely my own personal problem – I am 50 and that seems to be roughly the age of the characters. Even more annoying is that I can sadly relate quite a lot to how the characters feel.

Here is the blurb:

Clay Cooper and his band were once the best of the best, the most feared and renowned crew of mercenaries this side of the Heartwyld. 

Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk, or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay’s door with a plea for help — the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for. 

It’s time to get the band back together.

What I liked and disliked

The concept of mercenary groups being like character parties in D&D was awesome.

So it is a massive plus that the characters themselves are all superb. They’re different, yet believable, and they fulfil their roles in band perfectly. Clay Cooper is the dependable and solid bass-player / warrior, Golden Gabe is the dashing frontman, Ganelon is the talented literal ‘axeman’, Matrick is the alcoholic drummer / dual knife wielding rogue, and Moog (get it?) is the weird guy who plays keyboards / theremin / cowbell / bongos / does magic. They are all really different and very likeable.

The world they inhabit is also fun, although it does feel a little small at times. There are a load of human kingdoms in the east, another in the west, and the massive monster-filled Heartwyld (essentially a huge forest) in the middle. And when I say monster-filled, that is no exaggeration – there are a LOT of monsters.

The plot is fine and a great excuse for an adventure. It feels a little like an excuse for a road trip, but happily it is a great road trip.

What I disliked was being reminded what it is like to be middle aged, but deep down, that was kind of enjoyable. Annoyingly, it is fairly accurate. I enjoy travel, adventure, excitement, rumpy-pumpy, and copious booze as much as I used to, but I also feel a lot more sore and weary afterwards. I also appreciate a good bed, chilled out home-life and so on, a lot more. So, all in all, it is fairly accurate.

Conclusion – should you read it?

Kings of the Wyld keeps being described with the same adjective – fun. And rightly so. A lot of fantasy can be pretty serious and portentous stuff. This was written to be an enjoyable romp and it massively succeeded. Some parts verge on a little frivolous, but the characters and heart of the story completely balance everything out.

The middle-aged issue is largely my own, so ignore that. Also, while the world felt a little small, this is the first in the series and in the second, Bloody Rose, Nicholas Eames explores the world further. Or at least, so I have heard. I bought the second one while I was less than a hundred or so pages into the first. Which should say something.

I adored this book and strongly, strongly recommend Kings of the Wyld. It is a lot of fun.

You can check it out for yourself by clicking on this link.

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